Attack From the Shadows
by EmeraldSeiji
Summary: A new enemy attacks, but why, and how will the Ronins react to his presence? Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Attack From the Shadows

Chapter One

Disclaimer: Uh, yeah, so I don't own the Ronin Warriors, but if you don't recognize the character they're mine so ask permission if you want to use them. Thanks:)

A young man sat bound to a chair by his ankles, wrists, elbows, torso, and neck. He was badly injured with a blood stain growing ever larger on his torn, green kimono from a stab through his shoulder and other wounds on his body. He just sat on the brink of unconsciousness. He was beginning to pass out when the room he was in began to fill with smoke and became increasingly hot.

"Damnit," he thought to himself, "How did it ever come to this? I thought I could handle this on my own…" He began to struggle against his bonds weakly as the room began to fill with tongues of flame that were crawling towards his location. He heard the door get broken down, but by that time he was incoherant and as he felt himself cut free from his bonds, he passed into total darkness.

This darkness gave him no peace however. He was continually plagued by the faces of close friends accompanied by their voices. "Why did you do it?..." one asked while another said, "Come back to us…" and yet another asked, "Who did this to you?" Their remarks were accentuated by stabs of pain throughout his entire body. He almost wished he would just die to end the pain, but, no, he had too much to live for to die now.

Finally, the darkness ended. He found himself standing in the opening of a cave, looking at a forest filled with light and life. "Do you wish to live?" a raspy, old voice croaked from his left side. The question was repeated all around and inside of him in familiar voices and increasing volume until he threw his hands over his ears, closed his eyes, and knelt defensively. The voices suddenly stopped and the yound man looked up to see a familiar figure approaching. He asked curiously, "Ancient, what are you doing in my mind?"

"I am here to ask you a question, Sage," the Ancient answered in his calm voice and continued, "Do you desire to continue living or to pass into the world beyond?"

sat bound to a chair by his ankles, wrists, elbows, torso, and neck. He was badly injured with a blood stain growing ever larger on his torn, green kimono from a stab through his shoulder and other wounds on his body. He just sat on the brink of unconsciousness. He was beginning to pass out when the room he was in began to fill with smoke and became increasingly hot.

"Damnit," he thought to himself, "How did it ever come to this? I thought I could handle this on my own…" He began to struggle against his bonds weakly as the room began to fill with tongues of flame that were crawling towards his location. He heard the door get broken down, but by that time he was incoherant and as he felt himself cut free from his bonds, he passed into total darkness.

This darkness gave him no peace however. He was continually plagued by the faces of close friends accompanied by their voices. "Why did you do it?..." one asked while another said, "Come back to us…" and yet another asked, "Who did this to you?" Their remarks were accentuated by stabs of pain throughout his entire body. He almost wished he would just die to end the pain, but, no, he had too much to live for to die now.

Finally, the darkness ended. He found himself standing in the opening of a cave, looking at a forest filled with light and life. "Do you wish to live?" a raspy, old voice croaked from his left side. The question was repeated all around and inside of him in familiar voices and increasing volume until he threw his hands over his ears, closed his eyes, and knelt defensively. The voices suddenly stopped and the yound man looked up to see a familiar figure approaching. He asked curiously, "Ancient, what are you doing in my mind?"

"I am here to ask you a question, Sage," the Ancient answered in his calm voice and continued, "Do you desire to continue living or to pass into the world beyond?"

"I have too much to live for to stop living now, Ancient," Sage answered without a pause.

"To live you must pass through the cave at your back. The going will be treacherous but your abilities will guide you," the Ancient explained. "Listen to the voices of your true friends, they will guide you." With that the Ancient faded from sight, leaving Sage alone with his thoughts.

Why was this happening to him? He had just been trying to help one of his best friends…

With his thoughts swirling, he turned and walked determinedly into the cave and was once again swamped by darkness.

* * *

He walked forward slowly to give his eyes time to adjust, but soon realized there was no light for his eyes to adjust to. He continued to walk forward when he began to hear the soft, gentle voice with a slight English accent that belonged to his friend Cye. 

"Hey, Sage. Just thought I'd check to see how you were doing……Not that much has changed. You haven't moved, not a twitch, not even blinked a bloody eye." Cye's voice was upset, but while he was talking Sage could see where he was going and began running. "The doctors say that you probably can't hear me, but I don't believe that. You always have listened to me before." Sage heard a lengthy pause where it seemed that Cye had just run out of things to say, or his sentiments were too difficult to express verbally, but Sage continued to sprint through the caves. "We all miss you Sage, come back soon…Anyway, I'm cooking tonight so I'd better go before Rowan blows up the kitchen again…I'll come back soon. See ya." With that Cye stopped talking and Sage saw he had reached a fork in the road. He could go no further without light.

He sat on the ground and began to meditate to pass the time. He cleared his mind of all thoughts and questions and started to focus on healing himself. After what seemed only like a few minutes, he opened his eyes and began running through the lit tunnel as he heard the booming, full voice of Kento, now hushed and broken with emotion.

"Hey Sage. Man, I hate seeing you like this. You're just laying there, not moving at all. I mean, you kinda do that when you're meditating, but I know you can stop that whenever you want. You can't snap out of this as easily." Here Kento's voice stopped for a moment and Sage felt tears running down his cheeks. "I'm trying Kento, I'm trying" was running through his thoughts. He felt something grab his hand gently and was pulled even faster through the tunnel. "Your hand is so cold. There's nothing of your usual energy or warmth. Though, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were sleeping…" Kento's voice broke and he lost complete control of his emotions and began talking angrily. "Why, Sage? Why were you at that warehouse by yourself? Why were you hurt so badly that you slipped into a coma? Why am I asking you these questions? It's not like you're gonna answer them. Can you even hear me, Sage? What's the point…"

The lights went out once again. Sage found himself wiping his eyes. "I'm trying, Kento," he found himself saying, his voice echoing off the walls of the cave, "I'm trying to come home…"

He once again began to meditate, recognizing the futility of trying to continue his jouney while his friends were not talking to him. He just sat there until he felt someone grab his hand and he stood as he began to hear another friend's voice, this time it was Rowan's.

"Hey, Sage. It's been awhile. Sorry I haven't been here sooner, I've been helping your grandfather at the dojo. Let me tell you, your students and grandfather are ready for you to come back. I can't wait either. I'm not that great at kendo, let alone helping to teach it…Everyone else is ready for you to come back too. This has been really hard on Ryo especially and no one knows how to help him…Anyway, the doctors say you're healing quickly. No surprises there. You're probably helping that along knowing your healing abilities. You're starting to look more like yourself again…You're starting to look more like yourself again, kind of. Your hair is starting to grow back again. Oh! You probably don't know about that, do you? They had to cut your hair really short to make it easier to hook you up to an EEG to monitor your brain activity. The good thing is that at times when one of us Ronins are here, you show brain activity. Maybe one of these days you'll wake up for us…" With that Sage felt his hand placed gently back down and the lights dimmed. He just kept running as he heard Rowan add, "Goodbye Sage," and the lights went out completely leaving Sage with his thoughts about what Rowan had told him.

He once again sat on the ground, this time to think not meditate. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs, and placed his chin upon his knees. They had cut his hair! "I guess it will eventually grow back…But they cut my hair!" But what hit him hardest was Ryo. Ryo had a habit of feeling guilty for things that weren't under his control. This was probably one of those times, but in a round about way, this was Ryo's fault.

It had all started a week ago (counting from then until when he got hurt), when a guy named Kyle had started school at Hana High, the same high school Sage and his friends attended. Ryo had been put in charge of catching Kyle up in Biology by the teacher, Mr. Okashi. After a couple 'study' sessions with Kyle, Ryo had started acting weird, so Sage joined in on a session to see what had been happening. During the middle of the session, Ryo went into a sort of trance and Kyle's protruded menacingly into Sage's mind. "Why do you insist on interrupting me?"

Sage replied in the same manner cooly, "To stop you from hurting my friend."

Kyle locked eyes with Sage, saying into his mind, "If you want to stop me so badly, you and Ryo meet me at the abandoned meat warehouse tonight at 7:00 Bring your power orbs." With that Kyle faded from view and Ryo woke from his trance.

"Where'd Kyle go?" Ryo questioned, not remembering anything that had just happened.

"He had something important he had to do," Sage replied cooly thinking quickly, "He gave me an address we could go to at 7 to make it up."

"Sweet! Let's go home then!" The two got up and went home.

* * *

Sage's thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing his hand. He opened his eyes to see a light at the end of the tunnel and started towards it while he began to hear Ryo's voice. 

"Man Sage…I'm so sorry I'm so sorry this all happened. I feel so guilty about this. I don't even know why…I just keep having these dreams where we are fighting each other and I cause you all these injuries because you won't fight me…But I don't remember that happening for real. In fact, I don't remember much from that week except saving you from the fire…" Here Ryo's voice stopped for a moment and Sage ran into the light.

He blinked a few times to clear his vision and found himself looking at Ryo. "Ry…Ryo…" he managed to whisper, finding his throat dry, and feeling very weak.

"Sage! You're awake!"

Sage could feel himself tiring quickly so he squeezed Ryo's hand as much as possible and whispered, "This isn't…your fault Ryo." At this point he felt himself passing out once again, but he managed to whisper, "Blame…Ky…le…." Before going under.

He immediately began to dream. He found himself once again in the abandoned meat warehouse in his subarmor preparing to fight Kyle. "You'll never win Kyle!"

"I won't have to, Halo, Wildfire will win for me," he said menacingly. He then snapped his fingers and Ryo appeared next to him wearing the Armor of Wildfire. "Now, Halo, how will it feel to be defeated by your friend?"

"He will not best me…" Sage concentrated and was once more wearing the green and black kimono he wore while at his grandfather's dojo, "because I refuse to fight him. You are my only enemy here, Kyle, I will not fight my friend."

Kyle shrugged, carelessly saying, "Have it your way, Halo." He then maliciously ordered, "Kill him."

Ryo immediately sprang into action, attacking viciously with both his katanas. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, the tell-tale signs of a magic spell. Sage did his best to avoid the attacks, and though he avoided most of them, he still obtained multiple injuries.

"Ryo! Listen to me! You've got to snap out of this! I'm not the enemy, I'm your friend!" Sage yelled to Ryo as he was dodging the flashing swords. A burning heat scorched his forehead as Ryo's swords began to smoke with their hidden power, and blood ran freely down his face. "Damnit Ryo! You've got to stop this! I won't fight you, but I need your help to fight Kyle." Sage lost his footing for a moment and Ryo took the opening to plunge one of his katana through Sage's right shoulder, causing him to yell in agony. Ryo removed the sword from Sage and he fell forward onto him as the Armor of Wildfire disappeared and Ryo's eyes cleared.

"Oh my God! Sage! What have I done?!?" He gently laid Sage on the floor face up and turned to find Kyle laughing at him. "You'll pay for this, bastard," he snarled, finding an outlet for his rage.

"Why will I pay Wildfire? You're the one who did this..."he let his voice trail off for a moment then continued, "I wanted you to see what you had done. You ARE still under my spell afterall." He held out his hand, palm extended towards Ryo with fingers extended. Ryo's eyes once again glazed over, proving he was still under Kyle's spell. "Now, Wildfire, drag him over, and tie him to this chair. Let's have some fun with him before I kill him."

Ryo drug Sage by his feet across the floor leaving a smear of blood trailing behind. This trip sent Sage spinning into a world of bright lights and birds as pain rushed through his body. As he was roughly manhandled into the chair he lost consciousness.

Kyle woke him by slapping him across the face with the back of his hand hard enough that Sage tasted the coppery tang of his own blood. "Good morning, Halo!" Kyle said cheerily with a smile on his face. "Are you ready for some fun before you die?" As Sage slowly began to sink back into unconsciousness, he heard Kyle say joyfully, "_Destru_" and his world shattered. It felt like red hot needles were being shoved under his nails, like he was being skinned, and like he was being branded at the same time. Pain had taken on a new meaning in his life. Suddenly the pain stopped and he was wracked with uncontrollable trembling. He vaguely heard Kyle instruct Ryo downstairs and heard a mention of starting a fire.

He woke to find himself strapped to a bed with shadows falling across his body. He began struggling with the straps holding him down as best he could in his weakened state. While struggling, he heard a male voice say, "Quickly, sedate him." Sage felt a needle inserted into his arm followed by a rush of new fluid through his veins. He began to calm down at once and in a few moments he fell into a forced sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Attack from the Shadows

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Same as before so see chapter 1

This time he found himself lying on a stone slab in the cave where his armor draws its power. In the cave he also felt the warmth of a fire, heard the gugling of running water, and saw the sparkling pin pricks of the stars. He no longer felt pain or lonliness. He felt his body healing and closed his eyes as he heard the Ancient say, "There will be no more worries, Sage, all will be well."

Sage opened his eyes to see himself in a hospital bed surrounded by four people in uncomfortable chairs, only one of these people was awake though. "Rowan," Sage said softly, causing the young man with bright blue hair to jump.

"Sage! You're awake!" Rowan said to cover for his surprise, "How ya feelin'?"

"Like I got hit by a train."

This statement cuased Rowan to laugh which woke the other three. "Hey guys, look who's up!" Rowan said enthusiastically.

"Sage, my man!" came the excited voice of Kento.

"Excellent!" Cye laughed.

Ryo's face was in such a large smile that he could not say anything.

"Hey, guys," Sage replied softly before asking, "How long have I been out?"

Rowan answered his question seriously, "Well, you were in a coma for about 4 weeks. Then you slept for 5 days until you woke up struggling and the doctors sedated you. You were sedated for about 3 hours."

"Wow," Sage whispered, not knowing what else to say. He looked around at the tired faces of his four friends doing some quick calculations in his head. "Doesn't that mean you guys have school tomorrow?" he asked, concerned for their health.

"We've been excused from class tomorrow and Friday because there was a small fire in the Chemistry lab today. They're repairing it and airing out the school until Monday," Cye told Sage with a small smile on his face. He continued, "So we decided to spend our free time with a hurt friend."

Sage smiled, thankful for having such great friends. Just then the door opened to admit a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing the traditional doctor's white coat and stethoscope around his neck along with a dress shirt, tie, and slacks. He smiled when he saw that Sage was awake. "Good afternoon, young man. It's good to see you awake," he said with a deep, rich voice, "Have you calmed down from before?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's good. My name is Dr. Tao Osaka, and I've been put in charge of making sure you get better. You've had quite a close brush with death, Mr. Date," he then turned to the other 4 and said, "Why don't you four go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I'll bring Sage down as soon as I finish checkinghim over."

Ryo, Rowan, Kento, and Cye all nodded silently and headed out the door. This left Sage alone with Dr. Osaka, who had begun to check all his vital signs and wounds. "Sir," Sage began quietly, "How long will I have to stay in the hospital?"

"We'll have you stay a few more days for observation so we can make sure we've treated all your injuries correctly. Monday afternoon could possibly be set as a date for your release," he answered efficiently while taking his pulse before continueing, "Now allow me to ask you a question. Are you related to old Sensei Date who runs the famous Date kendo dojo?"

"Yes, he's my grandfather."

"I see," he said while putting his stethoscope back around his neck and handed Sage two wrist braces. "These are for you. You managed to reinjure your wrists when you woke up struggling this afternoon." He helped Sage to put the braces on, then said," Right, now you're ready for some supper."

This was a bit of an exaggeration. He first took out Sage's IV, and then helped him to put on a green button shirt, khaki shorts, and green slippers. Then they were ready to go down to the cafeteria.

They were half-way to the elevator befor Kr. Osaka spoke again. "I signed my son up for classes at your grandfather's dojo last week. He's going to start in June."

"He'll be well taught," Sage replied off-hand, his mind on other things.

"I have no doubt," he replied courteously. It was obvious to Sage that Dr. Osaka was trying to make conversation, even before he asked, "Do you study at your grandfather's dojo?"

"Yes, I am one of the most advanced students there. Also, I help teach some of the beginning classes." Sage answered efficiently, answereing more than was asked of him in order to stop futher questions. His stomach then gowled loudly, alerting him to how hungry he actually was.

Dr. Osaka laughed then said, "Sounds like you'll be happy to hear that we're almost there." The two stepped off the elevator. "It's right down the hall, the big doors to the left. I will see you again later."

"Thank you, doctor," Sage said sincerely before beginning down the hall to the cafeteria. Begore he knew it, he had reached the doors to the cafeteria, and walked through them, not knowing what he'd find.

The cafeteria, a rather large rooml, appeared emptey except for Sage's four friends, all of whom were standing in their subarmors. "Hey, what's going…"he began to ask when he was attacked from behind.

He felt a blade forced through his right shoulder once again, but this time he felt it go right through his shoulder blade. He was pushed forward roughly while the blade was ripped viciously from his shoulder from a different angle, causing both Sage's shoulder wounds to meld together and Sage to pass out from pain. He was gently caught by Cye before he could hit the floor and Cye quickly began doing first aid. He ripped Sage's shirt while turning Sage face up, and tied the shirt as best as he could around the wound to slow the bleeding.

While Cye was helping Sage, Ryo, Rowan, and Kento got a good look at the attacker. He was of average height and wearing a dark, hooded cloak that obscured his face. In his hand he held a long, elegant dirk which was dripping with blood. He lashed out at Ryo with this dirk but the blow was stopped short when Rowan punched him across the face causing him to drop his weapon. The stanger whispered something under his breath, turned on his heel with his cloak swirling, and disappeared with a small popping noise. The three's puzzlement was interrupted by Cye yelling, "Someone go get help! Sage has lost a lot of blood!"

Ryo and Kento ran out of the room to find help and Rowan approached Cye and Sage to see if there was anything he could do to help.

"We have to slow the bleeding. You put your hands on the back opening and push up and I'll push down from the top," Cye instructed.

As the two began applying pressure, Sage moaned and opened his eyes wearily. His eyes searched the room before focusing slowly on his two friends. "Cye…Rowan…Don't…leave me…" he struggled to whisper, gasping for air, "I…don't want…to be alone…"

"We won't leave you Sage," Rowan told him.

"You just have to stay with us," Cye added.

"I'll…try…" Sage gasped. He moaned again from pain and momentarily closed his eyes. "The room…won't…stop spinning," he moaned, the pain almost tangible in his voice.

"Just keep talking, Sage," Cye tried to get through the the suffering blonde warrior.

"Yeah, and help will be here soon. Ryo and Kento are going as quickly as they can," Rowan added.

"I'm…so lucky…to have friends…like you,"Sage thanked from his heart as tears welled in his eyes.

"No prob, bro, you'd do the same for any of us," Rowan said, trying to keep Sage talking.

This comment caused Sage to smile, but the smile soon turned to a grimace as he felt a throb of pain from his shoulder. He moaned quietly and whispered. "It hurts…so…bad." He locked eyes with both his friends before passing quickly into a healing darkness.

Cye felt Sage's head once again become heavy and realized that he was passing out. "Stay with us Sage," he said sternly and continued, "Sage…Sage…Bloody hell, he's passed out again," he swore defeatedly as he was replied with a momentary flutter of eyelashes from Sage and nothing more.

Seconds later Ryo and Kento burst through the cafeteria doors with several doctors and a rolling transport stretcher in their wake. The doctors put a neck brace on Sage so his head would not flop, and with the help of the 4 Ronins lifted Sage onto the stretcher.

As they were setting Sage down, he moaned and opened his eyes. He glanced around with bleary eyes at all his friends and whispered, "Hey Guys…" he then passed out once again.

Sage found himself suspended in darkness. He notice that he was once again in his green and silver subarmor at the same time that he noticed he could not move. He tried to struggle free from whatever was holding him still as he saw a light moving towards him rapidly.

When the light reached him, he was surprised to see his four friends sitting around in a hospital waiting room.

"Someone's really out to do Sage in, aren't they?" came a worried question from Cye. All that had happened suddenly popped into Sage's mind through his slowed senses.

"I guess," Rowan answered Cye's question. "I just wish we knew who was behind it so that we could stop them."

"He mentioned Kyle when he spoke to me the first time," Ryo's voice was darkened by concern and anger as it came from across the room.

"Which Kyle, I know at least 5?" Kento questioned.

"The new one," Rowan guessed, "that's when all the trouble started so it would only make sense. We should make sure that he has NO contact with Sage."

"Speaking of Sage" Cye interrupted, "I wonder how he is doing…"

Any answer about to be given was never heard because Dr. Osaka walked into the waiting room with a very grave look on his face. Ryo, Rowan, Cye, and Kento all began to ask questions creating enough of a ruckus for the doctor to old up his hands for silence before he would talk. As the four friends fell silent, Dr. Osaka began speaking quietly, "O have both good and bad news. Sage is now in stable condition with his shoulder sewn up…Unfortunately, he needs a blood transfusion and we have used all the donor blood that matches his blood type. We've contacted all other hospitals in the area and they don't have any either."

"Well, then what can be done to help him Dr. Osaka?" Cye asked, "We'll do whatever we can."

Dr. Osaka turned and looked Rowan in the eye. "You can help, Mr. Hashiba" he said quite seriously, "You and Mr. Date have compatable blood types. If we do a transfusion from you to him, he will have a greater chance of surviving."

Rowan nodded while responding, "If it will help Sage, I will do it."

"Good, then follow me. The rest of you, get some rest, you won't be any help to your friend if you get sick." Dr. Osaka then turned on his heel and walked back into the operating room with Rowan in his wake.

Sage found himself once again plunged into darkness, but this time he was not alone.

Out of the inky blackness Sage heard a familiar cackling laugh which sent shivers up and down his spine. Kyle's face appeared, followed by the rest of his body, right in front of Sage. "Enjoying your show, Halo?" he questioned with a gleeful smile on his face.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Sage questioned in return, his voice sounding strained and wearied.

"For my own pleasure of course!" Kyle's lauging reply came quickly. "You were the only one of your friends who detected my movements, so I wanted to test your boundaries."

"They've figured you out now. You'll never get away with whatever it was you were planning."

"That doesn't mean that I can't have fun torturing you while Strata is being prepared for the transfusion." A gleeful smile once again lit Kyle's face as he murmered, "_Destru._" Under his breath right before his awareness shattered into a million pieces. The pain was so intense that if he had not already been unconscious, he would have passed out.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the pain stopped. Sage closed his eyes as uncontrollable shakes overtook him.

When he once again opened his eyes, he found himself in his hospital room once again with Cye sitting in a chair next to his bed. "Good evening, mate!" Cye said cheerily, "How are you doing?"

"What happened, Cye?" Sage whispered, "Why do I feel so weak again?"

Cye paused before answering the questions. "You were attacked again when you entered the cafeteria. You lost a lot of blood and they had to transfuse blood from Rowan to you, but they could only take so much."

Sage answered with silence as the memories came flooding back into his mind. He broke the silence a few moments later saying, "How long was I out this time?"

"It has been about three hours since the transfusion," answered the strong voice of Dr. Osaka. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel very tired," Sage answered, "and like I've had the flu for about a month."

The doctor smiled. "That means that you are on the road called recovery my friend," he walked toward the door while instructing, "Get some rest Mr. Date. I would like you to be able to go home sometime in the next few days."

"Yes, sir," Sage answered quietly to the doctor's back as he exited the room. Next, he turned his attention to Cye and asked, "Where are the others?"

"Kento and Ryo took Rowan home since he was feeling rather weak after the operation, and needed some rest,"Cye an swered Sage's questin quietly before smiling kindly nad continuinb, "Now how 'bout you get some sleep, you look like you're nodding off anyway."

"Alright," Sage said wearily closing his eyes before whispering, "Hey, Cye?..."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything."

"No problem," Cye murmured, barely audible as he watched Sage sink into a realm of peacful sleep, and quickly followed into his own dream.


	3. Chapter 3

Attack From the Shadows

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

The mansion was absolutely silent. It had remained that way even after the three friends had walked through the front door. Rowan Hashiba had immediately retreated to his room where he was asleep before his head had even touched the pillow. Kento Rei Faun had sulked up to his room where he sat sullenly staring at a photograph of the Ronins while sitting in his leather computer chair. Ryo Sanada was the only one of the three who had kept moving. He had quickly retreated through the back sliding glass doors to meander thoughtfully through the woods with only his tiger, White Blaze, as a companion.

While Ryo wandered aimlessly, he took his cell phone out of his pocket. He looked at tis red flame facfe plate for a moment before saying softly to himself, "I might as well check Sage's voicemail for him…since I can't help him anyother way." He flipped open his phone and called Sage's pausing to listen to Sage's message:

"Hey this is Sage! I'm at kendo right now so I can't talk, but leave me a message and I'll call when I can!"

Ryo smiled to himself as he punched in Sage's password and began listening to the messages. The first 20 were normal, girls from school asking how he was doing and if he would want to go on a date when he had recovered, but then he came across one from someone he did not recognize, someone named Daisuke.

"Sage, man! Long time no talk! This is Daisuke. I haven't heard from you for a few months so I thought that I'd call. I'm actually gonna be in town in a couple weeks, maybe we could get together some time. Give me a call back to let me know. You know the digits. Bye!"

He wondered who this Daisuke guy was, he sounded like he had known Sage for a long while. Ryo shrugged to himself as he saved the message for Sage to listen to later and continued to listen to the rest of the messages, all 20 of which were from more girls.

By the time he had listened to all the messages, Ryo had gone in a complete circle. He stood for a moment then walked silently over to the pond with White Blaze acting like a large white and black shadow. He sat down quietly and leaned against his tiger. White Blaze nudged Ryo's hand with his head and as Ryo obliged the request he whispered, "How did it ever come to this 'Blaze?"

The docile tiger replied appoligetically by licking his master's cheek and was rewarded with a small smile from Ryo. The two sat there and silently watched as the stars appeared one by one in the dark heavens eventually falling asleep.

Inside the mansion, Kento had also fallen asleep in his leather chair and was snoring softly as he dreamed of dancing cheeseburgers and milkshakes.

Rowan was still fast asleep in his room. The only change was in his position as he had now rolled into a ball and covered up with a sheet.

Cye woke to the sun streaming through the window, glittering off what dust motes there were, and shinning brightly off the highly polished floor. He was feeling quite refreshed, and ready to go for a swim, but Sage needed him now. Swimming could wait until later. He turned his attention to his injured friend who was still sleeping peacefully while hooked up to an IV, EEG, heart moniter, and a canister of oxygen since one of his lungs had been punctured in the last attack. The doctors had reinflated it, of course, but they were still helping him breathe.

As Cye was watching, Sage began to blink his eyes and wake-up serenly. "Good-morning sleepy head," Cye said cheerily, "And how are we feeling on this splendid Thursday morning?"

"Much better, Thanks,"Sage answered, his voice sounding much stronger than the previous day. "Was I really asleep that much longer than you were Cye?"

"No, I just woke up too," Cye said seriously before adding, with a mischevious grin, "It just seems like all you do is sleep."

"What else am I supposed to do in a hospital?" Sage asked good-naturedly before sarcastically adding, "Kendo?"

Cye laughed and replied, "While that would be fun, I don't think the doctors would be fond of that…" he mocked puzzled thinking for a moment then finished comically, "We could see what's on the tube!"

"Sounds good to me!" Sage agreed enthusiastically.

Cye grabbed the remote and began to flip through the channels. He stopped when he found Saiyuki saying, "You gotta see this show, mate! Kento got us all hooked on it a couple weeks ago. Apart from the language, it's pretty decent."

"Alright," Sage agreed and was immediately plunged into the show, which he did enjoy.

After Saiyuki, Gundam Wing was on. Halfway through the episode, Ryo, Rowan, and Kento walked into the room. "Dude! Sage! You're awake!" Kento exlaimed excitedly as he had been prepared for the worst.

Sage smiled and replied, "Hey guys! Good to see you. Whats up?"

"You're awake, that's what's up dummy," Kento said exhasperated. He glanced at the t.v. and perked up, "Oooo, Gundam Wing!"

"Speaking of t.v." Rowan started, "The national kendo tournement starts being shown today at 9:30. That's about 12 minutes from now."

Sage commented, "The next best thing to watching it in person…Or competeing in it I suppose." After that Sage sat quietly in thought with everyone else chatting happily around him. Ath the end of Gundam Wing, Rowan grabbed the remote and ganged the channel , not expecting the conversation between the annojuncers they would hear.

"So who are you expecting to win the tournement this year, Dan?"

"I was going to put my money on last year's champ, Sage Date, Steve, but today I was informed that he's out with an injury."

"From what I hear he's been out for over a month."

"It's such a shame. He has such talent for his age."

Rowan's finger found the mute buttong, and Sage suddenly found all four of his friends staring at him awestruck."National Champion?" Cye asked quietly. You could hear the respect in his voice.

"I'm sure if it wasn't muted, they'd be talking about the international tournement now," Sage said offhandedly.

"Why? What happened there?"Ryo asked curiously.

"I froze in the last match and lost. There just so many people in the stands that I got distracted," he answered quietly, shame present in his tone.

"What place did you get, bro?" Kento asked, continueing the interrogation.

"2nd," Sage whispered.

All 5 Ronins sat there a moment silently.

"You're the international runner-up and you feel sorry for that?!?" Ryo burst out. "Are you insane?!?"

"The one I lost to was not that good."

"You're still one of the top in the world," Cye said rationally.

"I guess," Sage said softly. He returned his eyes to the television, where he was surprised by what he saw. "I didn't know he was competeing this year," he whispered, "Last I heard he was going to stop competeing."

"Woah!" Kento said, "Who are you talking about? That's a totally different subject!"

"That guy on the tv, his name is Daisuke Takahashi. He's a friend of mine, and this year's leading contender in the tournement," Sage explained.

"Oh. Ok."Kento said happily, "Wait. How do you know he's the top contender? The tv is muted…"

"For one thing, it said so on the screen," Sage answered matter-of-factly, "For another, he placed second to me last year."

"Oh!" Ryo exclaimed, his eyes wide. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone with a green swirled cover on it. He handed it to Sage saying, "A guy named Daisuke left you a voicemail."

"Thanks," Sage said. He then flipped his phone open and accessed his voicemail using his left hand. He listened to Daisuke's message with a small smile on his face. He then hung up and said, "I wonder if he'll pick up his phone since they're just warming up." He then punched in Daisuke's phone number.

"Won't he be concentrateing on the competition?" Rowan asked curiously. As he asked this, they saw Daisuke walk to his bag and pull out a cell phone before the camera focused on someone else.

"Takahashi speaking," Sag heard from the other line before saying, "Daisuke, my friend, you shoiuld smile for the camera more often today."

"Sage!?!? Is that you?"

"The one and only. Who else would it be?"

"Dunno…Where are you? I haven't seen you at all among the competitors…" Daisuke asked curiously, still excited.

"I'm not there Dai…I'm in one of the last places you'd ever guess…" Sage answered enigmatically.

"What? A date?" There was then loud laughing. "Sorry dude, I couldn't help it…So where are you? I give up guessing…"

"The hospital."

"Like admitted in the hospital?"

"Yeah…"

"I wondered why you never answered my calls."

"I didn't know you had called. I was in a coma for over a month."

"Sorry man…Anyway, the second part of the tournement in in Toyoma this year. Maybe I could drop by and see you some time. Right now, I have to get ready for my match. I'll call you later, Sage."

"I'll be cheering you on, Takahashi."

"I'll win it all and dedicate it to you."

Sage heard the click of the phones being disconnected and closed his phone with a smile on his face. "It's good to knkow he's still as unfocused as ever." He said with a laugh before asking Rowan if he would turn back on the sound. There were 15 more minutes of commentary before any matches began.

They watched Daisuke Takahashi's match right away, which he won of course. They watched a couple more matches with Sage explaining them before Dr. Osaka walked into the room to check on Sage. He took of the oxygen line, and the bandage on Sage's forehead to reveal that the cut across his forehead was almost healed, but would leave a scar. Next, he changed the gauze bandage on his shoulder to make sure everything was clean. He then informed Sage that he would send a nurse up with some breakfast for him which he was thanked for.

About five minutes later a couple nurses came in and unhooked Sage from both the EEG and the heart moniter. As they were rolling the equipment out of the room and down the hall, a third nurse came with Sage's brekfast which contained toast, eggs, applesauce, orange juice, and milk. He ate this all quickly as the nurse changed his IV bag, and he took the painkillers that the nurse handed him. She then left taking the tray with her.

"I feel normal again," Sage remarked when the nurse had left, "I'm not hooked up to any big machines anymore."

This caused the other four to smile and laugh. They felt especially happy because Sage was once again a conscious member of the group. Rowan glanced back at the tv screen and said, "oh look, Takahashi is having another match." All five of the Ronins cheered on Sage's friend who once again won.

This time after the match there was an interview with a very satisfied Daisuke Takahashi. It was the normal 'How do you think you are doing?' sort of sport interview until the reporter asked, "So who called your phone this morning that was so important you had to take the call during warm up?"

"It was my friend, Sage Date."

"He was last year's champion, correct?"

"Yes. He called to wish me good luck."

"I agree. Good luck with the rest of your matches."

"Reporters are so nosy," Sage remarked scathingly before saying, "If it's alright with you guys, I'm going to try to heal myself a little, in hopes that it will help me get out of this hospital at least a little quicker."

Cye, Kento, Rowan, and Ryo all looked at each other sharing nonverbal communicative looks to make a unanimous decision. Ryo spoke up, "Of course it's alright Sage. We all want you out of this hospital too. We'll even keep track of what goes on at the tournement while you're busy."

Sage smiled at his friends showing his perfect, white teeth, and said, "You guys are the best friends I could ever wish for. I don't know what I'd do without you." With that he leaned back against his bed while slowly making it recline a little. He closed his eyes, and as he began to concentrate his shoulder began to faintly glow green from his focused chi. Withing 10 minutes, he had completely exhausted himself and passed unknowingly into a peaceful, dreamless, healing sleep.

Sage awoke suddenly from his sleep about noon to find all his friends gone. Even though the room appeared to be empty, he could feel someone's presence. "Reveal yourself," he said strongly, "I know that you are there."

Out of the only shadowed corner of the room stepped Cale, the former warlord of Darkness for Talpa. He said with a smile, "I never could fool you, Sage." His eyes traveled across Sage's injured form before commenting, "You seem to be healing well."

"What are you doing here?" Sage questioned suspiciously, "Did you come to mock me?"

"No," Cale answered shortly. "Ryo contacted us when you received your injuries, and kept us updated on your condition. I thought that I would be friendly and come visit you since we're not enemies anymore."

"I see," Sage whispered to himself before he thanked Cale for coming to see him.

The two sat silently for several minutes, each caught up in his own thoughts before Cale finally broke the silence. "There's one thing I don't understand…How did this happen?" his voice sounded confused. He continued, "All those times we fought and I could barely scratch you if I was fighting fairly…Who has enough power and skill to beat you so badly?"

Sage paused, thinking of how to answer without using Ryo's name. He finally replied, "A magician. A powerful enough one that he is able to control some close enough to you that you do not want to fight them." He thought a moment more before adding, "And who is an expert in torture, even more so then Talpa."

Cale nodded slowly, letting what Sage had revieled sink in. He then quickly glanced at the door and saw approaching silhoettes in the glass. "Your friends are returning. I'd better go," he said flatly before winking and saying, "Wouldn't want to ruin my tough guy image now would I?"

This comment caused Sage to laugh as Cale retreated back to the shadowed corner and disappeared as silently as he had come. Sage had just enough time to close his eyes to pretend he was still asleep before he heard someone open the door. Upon seeing that Sage was still 'asleep', Kento remarked loudly, "See, I told you we could go and get back before he woke up." Sage had to fight back a wave of laughter as he heard Kento get shushed.

"Kento, close your fat mouth," Rowan repremanded quietly, "If we ever want Sage to leave this room, he needs his rest!"

"Don't worry. You guys were so slow getting back, I got bored of waiting and took another nap!" Sage said opening his twinkling lavender eyes and smiling broadly. He then looked at his three friends, as they came to sit down with a question forming behind his eyes, "Where's Cye?"

"He had swim team practice starting at noon." Ryo answered appologetically, and continued, "And I have soccer at three."

"You do what you have to," Sage said honestly, "I'm not selfish enough to say you have to be bored out of your minds by being here with me all the time."

"Hey!" Kento broke in happily, "By the way! Guess who we ran into!"

"I dunno…"

"Your doctor, and he said to ask you if tomorrow afternoon would work…"

"Work for what?"

"To get out of here, dummy!" Ryo exclaimed.

Rowan dug through his pockets and pulled out 10 crisp tickets to show them to Sage explaining, "And then Saturday and Sunday we're taking you to the kendo tournement.

"You guys are amazing! How did you do this?" Sage exclaimed, his face lit up with excitement.

"We left to take Cye to swim team and to get Kento some food, and since we were already out, we stopped by your house to tell your family how you were doing. When they heard the good news, they handed us these tickets." Rowan explained with a smile on his face.

Sage stared at the tickets for a moment before murmuring, "Wow…" He then focused in on the seats printed on the tickets, and got another surprise, they were for the best seats in the stands along with passes into the locker rooms. He exclaimed, "These are PRIME tickets, too!" Which caused his three friends to laugh uproariously while he broke into a wide smile.

A nurse then entered the room carrying a tray of food for Sage. She was a little taken aback by the mood in the room but delivered the food anyway, instructing, "Make sure you eat it all, young man. Someone will be by to pick-up the tray in a while."

The friends thanked her as she left and Sage began to eat his food. For being hospital food, it tasted pretty decent. He ate it all before Kento even had a chance to try to nab some of it.

As Sage finished the last bite of his meal, his phone began to flash and ring. It was Daisuke. He picked up his phone and answered, "Date Dojo, if you are looking for lessons better come on by, you can only hear them now." Everyone in the room heard Daisuke's uproarious laughter in response.

Once he had calmed down enough to talk, he asked, "Man, Sage! How do you come up with those?"

"Lots and lots of practice," Sage replied with a smile before continueing, "Nice job this morning Dai. If you keep this up, there's a good chance that you'll win."

"Thanks, just remember my performance is being dedicated to you since I trained this whole last year to be able to beat you."

"I'll keep that in mind as I'm watching and cheering for you."

"Do you know when you'll be released from the hospital?"

"Possibly tomorrow afternoon. IF nothing goes wrong…"

"Sweet. One question though…Why did you get put into the hospital?"

"It's a long, complicated story, Daisuke…" Sage answered, his voice becoming downcast. "The short version is there was an accident during which I was stabbed through the shoulder among other, smaller injuries."

Sage heard a sharp inhalation of air from Daisuke and a whispered, "Harsh," before he siad, "I gotta let you go now, Sensi is coming towards me and he looks upset about something. I'll talk to you later." Sage heard a couple upset words before the lines were disconnected but had to laugh at his friend's ability to get in trouble even when he was succeeding as he closed his phone and put it on the table.

"What's so funny?" Rowan asked curiously.

"From what I heard before he hung up, Daisuke is now getting the lecture of a lifetime from his sensei even though he has won all his matches so far."

From there the conversation turned to many different subjects about which all four friends chatted happily. They covered everything from soccer to homework. Sage even got a good laugh from the rumors of why he was in the hospital.

In the middle of these conversations, the door opened to admit the person sent to get Sage's tray. He looked up when he heard the door, and was surprised to see his elder sister, Yayoi, walk into the room. He smiled at her, surprised hen he realized that he actually was happy to see her.

She returned his smile and breathed with tears in her eyes, "Seiji…" she then sighed and said, "It's good to see you awake, little brother. How are you feeling?"

Sage was vaguely aware of his friends slipping out of the room as he answered her, "Much better, Yayoi. How have you been doing?"

She walked over to his bedside and sat in one of the vacated chairs while she replied, "I've been very worried about you of course, but busy with my studies and internship. I'm actually 'working' right now, but Dr. Osaka sent me to get your tray and told me to take a few minutes for myself when I got here."

"I'm sorry to have worried you so much…How are Mom, Dad, Grandfather, and Sasuki?"

"They've all been worried about you of course, but they've stayed busy. Mom and Grandfather resumed normal lessons at the dojo about a week after your accident, Dad's been hard at work at the police department, and Sasuki has been spending her time the way she always does, by doing the opposite of what she should." Sage smiled at her opinion of his younger sister's activities as Yayoi ocntinued, "Anyway, Dad's coming to get you sometime around noon tomorrow, so you can rest before your friends take you to watch kendo on Saturday." She glanced at the clock on the wall and said a quick good-bye as she had to return to her duties as as intern.

After his sister left, Sage sat in his bed staring at the wall, his mind void of all thought. Without meaning to, he sank into a meditative state, and began to have a vision. It began with him seeing a bright, white light and then he found himself in some sort of airport terminal. All around hem he heard many different languages but many, many people speaking only English. He walked along a ways when he saw a group of people holding a sign saying, "Welcome to the US Sage Date!"

Sage was startlee dfrom his strange reverie as Rowan and Kento walked through his door once again. "Welcome back, guys." He said happily, forcibly shaking all feelings about his vision from his mind. He saw that Rowan was holding something in his hand and curiously asked, "What's that Ro?"

Rowan held out a small, black book and said, "It's one of my astronomy notebooks. Dad dropped it off for me since I still have class at three-thirty at the college." Sage focused on what Rowan was holding and saw that in the black there were blue stars carefully placed so they looked like the night sky. "I accidently left it on the counter last weekend when I was at home."

Sage nodded his understanding. He paused for a moment before beginning to ask, "So has……" he was interrupted by a loud snore from Kento which made him smile but also made him hang his head in sorrow before rather downcastedly saying, "I'm sorry I've caused everyone so much trouble."

"Don't worry about it so much, Sage. Accidents happen," Rowan said comfortingly. "We all run this kind of risk every day, just by being Ronins."

"Yeah," Sage replied dejectedly, not looking up at all.

"Would talking about it help? I'm here to listen to anything you need to talk about."

"Promise not to tell the others? Especially Ryo. I want to tell them on my own," came Sage's question softly.

"If there's anything I know, it's how to keep a secret. I'll even skip my class to listen to everything you want to say."

"You're the best Ro," Sage said gratefully, looking into Rowan's midnight blue eyes with his lavender ones. He sighed deeply before beginning. "You know the new Kyle in school, right?" Rowan nodded and Sage continued, "This all started when Ryo was instructed to tutor Kyle in Biology. After a couple study sessions, I noticed that Ryo had begun to act more strangely than normal so I decided to join them on their next session. About ten minutes into the session, Ryo went into a kind of trance and Kyle began to talk to me in my mind."

Sage paused for a breath, during which Rowan asked, "Talked to you in your mind? Like we do sometimes in our armor?"

Sage nodded, "Only not in a friendly way. It felt like he was yelling or trying to blow my mind out with volume. He asked my why I was interrupting him and when I told him that I wouldn't allow him to hurt my friend, he instructed me to meet him at the abandoned meat warehouse with Ryo."

"And you went without telling anyone what you were going to do…"

"I thought I could handle it on my own. I didn't realize that he was a powerful enough magician to be able to make Ryo attack me."

"So RYO did this to you?"

"Not intentionally. He was under a spell and I refused to fight back. After he cut me across my forehead, I lost my footing and that's when I got stabbed through the shoulder. After Ryo pulled his katana out, I fell, and Kyle made Ryo tie me to a chair. After which Kyle tortured me."

"Tortured you? How?" Rowan's voice questioned softly, horrified by what he was hearing.

"I don't know, I was kind of out of it at that time. All I remember is him saying some word beginning with a D and then it hurt so badly, it was like I'd never felt pain before. Then I'm pretty sure I passed out."

"Then you woke up here?" Rowan asked curiously.

"No, I found myself at the entrance to a large cave. The Ancient came and spoke to me. He told me if I wanted to live I had to pass through the cave."

"So you walked through the cave?"

"Yes, the only problem was I could only see where I was going when one of you were talking to me."

"I see," Rowan whispered to himself. Sage cast him a questioning look and he explained, "When I would come to visit, I would always feel like I had to talk to you. Also, the doctor said when one of us Ronins was talking, you showed brain activity. That must have been when you were running through the cave, it only makes sense."

Sage nodded and added, "Yeah. And then I woke-up here to find Ryo feeling guilty." Rowan nodded his understanding before Sage asked, "Has Kyle done anything else while I've been in this room?"

Rowan shook his head and added, "In fact, Wednesday was his last day at school. From what I've heard, he's returning to wherever he was from in the first place."

Sage and Rowan then sat in silence, each absorbed in his own thoughts and listening to Kento's gentle snoring. The remained this way until Cye Mouri announce his arrival through the door with a cheerful, "Hey Guys!"

Sage looked up and couldn't help smiling at his friend. Cye's face was lit with a brilliant smile, his sea colored eyes were glittering, and his auburn hair was still damp from the water. He happily returned, "Hey Cye! How was practice?"

Cye shrugged before answering, "Practice was practice… I ran into the president of the kendo club on the bus though. He asked how you were doing and I let him know you had come out of your coma."

"Thanks," Sage gratefully stated before curiously asking, "So how much homework do I have to make up?"

"Lots and lots," Kento murmured in his sleep. Sage looked at him in surprise, had he heard everything? Kento then continued, "I like lots of cookies."

The room was filled with laughter from the three friends. They then spent their time in friendly conversation with periodic interruptions by nurses or Dr. Osaka coming to check on Sage's condition.

Ryo returned around 5:00 and eventually Kento woke from his nap to a growling stomach which was the cause of yet more laughter from the group of friends. They ate together in Sage's room and they all fell asleep quite early after talking for hours.


	4. Chapter 4

Attack from the Shadows

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Ronins but unfortunately, I don't, and I'm not making any money off of this.

All of the Ronins except Rowan woke the next morning when the golden light of the newly risen sun began to reflect off the tiled floor. They once again turned on the tv to watch the kendo tournament, and talked happily, catching Sage up on all the things he had missed. Rowan awoke from his slumber around 10 and half an hour later a nurse came and took out Sage's IV. Next came an orderly that helped Sage get into a wheelchair.

The orderly wheeled him to x-ray where they took an x-ray of his shoulder blade to check if it was healing correctly. Apparently it was because the orderly wheeled him back to his room where he discovered that his friends had left to check on a possible evil disturbance (at least that's what the note said). A nurse came in a few minutes later with a sling which he was taught how to use and instructed to wear unless he was sleeping.

Sage was then left alone to change out of his hospital gown into a set of normal clothes (khaki pants and a lavender sort-sleeved button-down shirt). He then turned back on the kendo tournament where he watched Daisuke win against one of his school mates, Isaro Nakahiko, by a large margin.

15 minutes later, Sage turned off the tv as his father and Dr. Osaka entered the room. The doctor made one final check of Sage's condition before releasing him to his father's care.

The drive home was rather un-eventful as the only real change in scenery was the changing of the leaves to their autumnal yellows, red, and oranges. Sage's father filled him in on what the family had been doing, and informed him that he had a small 'mountain' of mail waiting for him on his desk. Sage sat in the passenger seat inserting comments and questions when necessary, but mainly feeling content to be out of the hospital and spending time with his father.

The drive to the Date family home/dojo was shorter than Sage expected. He was so surprised by how happy he felt to be home that he just stood in the driveway for a few moments until he felt a small shove on his left shoulder. He glanced back to see his father smiling. "Go on son. You're finally home," came his warm voice happily.

Sage felt like he was in a dream as he walked up the front walk, up the stone stairs, across the deck to the front door. He paused a moment with his hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, turned the knob, opened the door, and took a step inside.

"SURPRISE! WELCOME HOME!"

Sage looked around to see his parents, siblings, and his four best friends smiling at him. He smiled back warmly, feeling waves of happiness wash over him. "It's good to be home," he said quietly as they all rushed up to him. Their excitement was contagious and Sage found himself wondering what they had planned.

They ushered him into the dining room where a full meal was laying, piping hot on the table, courtesy of Cye and Mrs. Date. It all tasted phenomenal, especially the red velvet cake that was for dessert. The deliciousness was added to by the fact that the food was being shared between good friends and family.

Shortly after sharing the meal, 3 of the Ronins (Ryo, Kento, and Cye), left for various reasons with Rowan staying for the rest of the day and overnight to assist Sage with his mountain of homework. Yayoi returned to the hospital, Sasuki retreated to her room where she talked on her phone, Sage's father went to the police station, and his mother went to the dojo to teach lessons.

Around three, Sage's mother came back through the house to prepare to go to the hospital for her shift. On her way past she glanced into Sage's room where the two young men were still hard at work. She smiled to herself, proud of her son's progress and grateful he had such good friends to count on.

An hour later, Sage and Rowan had decided that it was time to take a short break. They had made quite a headway in the pile of homework. In their three hours of work, Rowan had helped Sage through all of his pre-calc work and they were halfway through the Japanese History homework. During their break, Rowan and Sage went to the kitchen and grabbed some water to drink before heading back to Sage's room.

Once back in Sage's room, they went through Sage's mail. Many pieces of mail were 'get well soon' cards from family and friends. His uncle Richard had sent him a Broadway cd. Rowan popped it into Sage's player and turned the sound on low while Sage continued to sort through his mail. At the bottom of the pile, he found a letter from the AFS (Association of Foreign Students) which he quickly opened and skimmed. The contents of the notice caused a smile to cross his face.

Rowan looked at him quizzically asking, "What are you so happy about?"

"I was accepted," Sage answered calmly.

"Accepted for what?"

"To be a foreign exchange student next school year."

"Sweet! Where are you gonna get to go?"

"They don't know yet, but they sent along a form for me to fill out about the languages I have learned." He paused for a moment before continuing, "We should get back to work. I'd like to get as much done as possible."

"Right," Rowan replied as the two sat back down to get to work.

In the next few hours the two completed Japanese History, Japanese, English, and were half way through Chemistry. After realizing how much work they had completed, Sage decided to call it quits for the night. As they were both feeling rather restless, they decided to go for a walk in the yard between the house proper and the dojo.

The late autumn air felt cool and crisp on the bare skin of Sage's arm and face, and refreshed his spirit. He took a deep breath and gazed at the sun that was slowly sinking under the horizon. His left hand reached into his pocket and grasped the small, spherical shape of his kanji orb and felt a warming strength flood his body. He felt better than he had in weeks, but still realized that he had a long road to travel before he was healed completely.

Rowan found himself smiling as he watched his friend's face in the evening light. Through the bond that they shared by bearing two of the Ronin armors, he felt a smaller portion of the strength that was flowing into Sage. After a few moments, he cleared his throat, and chuckled softly when he saw Sage jump slightly. He softly stated, "I thought we were going to walk, not stare at the sunset like statues."

Sage laughed before saying, "You're right, Ro, let's walk."

The two began to wonder around the spacious yard. As they reached the small bench under one of the cherry trees, Rowan's cell phone began to ring. He answered it, "Hashiba…Oh hey Ryo…It's definitely going…Yeah! What ungodly hour of the morning are you three coming to pick us up?...7:30?!? It's SATURDAY!" Sage laughed at this statement before listening into the conversation once more. "Of course I'm making him take it easy…No, he hasn't even been in the dojo yet…Yeah, whatever…See you tomorrow…" Rowan closed his phone muttering something irately under his breath.

He glanced at Sage and caught the smile on his face turn into a grimace before Sage could hide it. He asked curiously, "How are you holding up?"

"I think the pain killer is wearing off…" Sage answered breathily, his shoulder throbbing rawly with pain.

"Let's get you the drugs then."

The two got up and quickly went into the house. Once inside Sage made his way to a beige colored couch while Rowan retrieved a dose of medicine and water for him to take it with from the kitchen. Sage took them gratefully and was feeling much better within 15 minutes.

Rowan put a movie in the player and Sage was soon distracted by the world of fantasy. However, Rowan's mind was plagued by a question that had been nagging him for weeks, and decided to ask his friend in a round-about way. "Hey Sage?" he asked quietly.

"Mm-hm?"

"Are you gonna grow your hair back out?"

"Yeah…..Why do you ask?"

"You don't look bad with it short. It's even kinda nice to see both of your eyes."

"That's the problem," Sage replied softly after a moment's pause, his eyes filling with sorrow. "You can see both my eyes."

"Come again? What's the problem with people seeing your eyes?" Rowan asked, even more confused.

"They're the reason I grew my hair out in the first place…" he paused a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, "As a child no one wanted to be my friend because of my eyes. In fact, sometimes other children would run away crying because my eyes scared them. So I took Yayoi's advice and grew my hair long enough to cover one of them."

Rowan contemplated what he had been told a moment before commenting, "Your eyes don't frighten me."

Sage smiled at his friend, thankful for his input, before saying, "Besides, that's my signature look. I don't want to change that!"

The two friends laughed together at this statement as John Date walked into the room. He smiled at his soon before saying, "Hello boys. How's it going?"

"Very well, father," Sage answered. "We got a lot of homework done and decided that it was time to just hang-out.

"That's good to hear. Have you two had anything to eat yet?"

"Not yet, sir," Rowan inserted quickly as his stomach growled loudly.

Mr. Date laughed at Rowan's stomach before saying, "Alright then let's see if we can find something in the kitchen." He then led the way into the kitchen where the three made sandwiches.

After the three had eaten, Sage and Rowan retreated once again to Sage's room. The two sat around talking, and reliving experiences until Rowan noticed Sage was beginning to get tired. He looked at the clock and said, "It's getting kinda late, we should turn in for the night." He then got up and left the room saying, "See you in the morning Sage."

Sage watched his blue haired friend leave and muttered, "Subtle, Ro, real subtle," before yawning. "Guess he was right, though, it's time to hit the sack." He then changed into a pair of green flannel pajama pants and took off his sling and shirt. He then walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth with his arm hanging limply by his side. As he grabbed his tooth brush, Sage caught sight of himself in the mirror, and saw clearly for the first time the massive damage that had been done to his shoulder. He winced as he looked at the line of dark stitches and though to himself, "Man, there is no way this is not going to scar…" He then rushed through the rest of his night-time rituals and fell directly asleep.

After Rowan retreated from Sage's bedroom, he went to the guest room he was using for the night. As he was not yet tired, he pulled a book of Sherlock Holmes mysteries from his bag and buried his nose in it.

Before he knew it, he was getting drowsy and got ready for bed. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants that were black with yellow stars, and then headed down the hall to the bathroom. On his way, he checked on Sage, who was sleeping peacefully.

Rowan finished getting ready for bed, went back to the guest room, and crawled into bed. Before his eyes shut for the night he realized that this was the earliest he had gone to bed in several years.

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Hey that's it for this time:) Everyone please review, tell me what you think and give me any suggestions you may have! It'll make me happy:)


	5. Chapter 5

Attack from the Shadows

Chapter Five

Thanks to everyone who has read this story! A special thanks to the two of you who have reviewed it, I really appreciate it.:) Everyone else: Please review!!

Disclaimer: I don't own them

Around 6, Sage woke to the peaceful sounds of bamboo flute floating through his room from his personalized alarm clock. He drug himself out of bed, turned off the alarm, and sat back down to think. It felt good to get up at the normal time once again, but something was troubling him, most likely from a dream, but he could not recall any dreams from the night before. He finally decided to meditate on it…after he took his painkillers- his shoulder was aching.

He put on his sling in case anyone was awake, and headed to the kitchen where he took his medicine with some water. He then returned to his room where he took off the sling and sat comfortably on the floor, and cleared his mind to meditate.

He found himself in the normal blackness of meditation and within moments saw flashes of his troubling dream. The images of Dynasty soldiers, new armors, and himself in his own armor appeared quickly before his eyes before vanishing into nothing and bringing forth glimpses of people he had never met. No wonder his mind was so troubled. As soon as no more visions appeared, he gave himself a few moments to calm himself.

He opened his eyes peacefully, surprised at his level of calmness, grabbed a set of clothes for the day and his sling and headed to the bathroom for a warm shower. When he was finished, he got dressed, threw his laundry in the hamper and grabbed a cup of cold water before heading to the guest room where Rowan was still asleep.

Sage opened the door to the guest room, turned on the light and loudly said, "Rowan, Wake-up!" This tactic did not work, so he set the cup of water on the bedside table, and walked over to the bed. Using his left hand, Sage pulled the covers to the bottom of the bed exposing Rowan's bare chest to the chilly morning air. This tactic also failed, however Sage had one trick left up his sleeve. He grabbed the cup of cold water and with 1 efficient gesture, splashed all the contents on his friend's face. As Rowan sputtered into wakefulness, Sage said pleasantly, "Good morning, sleepy, it's 7 o'clock."

Rowan shot his blonde friend a look dripping with malice before accusing, "You take sick joy in waking me."

"Of course I do," Sage replied sarcastically, turning towards the door, "But if you don't hurry to get ready, we'll leave you behind. I'm sure there're plenty of chores to be done in the dojo…" Sage exited the room as he heard Rowan scramble to grab his clothes.

Sage next saw Rowan 15 minutes later, showered, dressed, and ready for a breakfast that consisted of cold cereal and milk. As the two were finishing their breakfast, they heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. The two both grabbed their jackets, and walked out the door to see a red Jeep Samurai with three passengers sitting in the driveway.

The five close friends spent the short trip from Sage's home in Sendai to the convention center in Toyoma in relative silence. Ryo, Kento, and Rowan sat in the back seat, all half asleep, sometimes even dozing, while Sage and Cye talked quietly in the front. Soon, they had arrived in Toyoma, parked the Jeep, and entered the center to find their seats.

They watched as the contestants began to warm-up on the floor, and people slowly filled the large seating area in the convention center. To the amazement of his friends, Sage managed to identify almost every contestant in the arena just by watching a couple moves. This trick made the time pass by rather quickly for the Ronins until Ryo asked Sage, "Is you friend Daisuke out there warming up?"

Sage quickly scanned the contestants but the search was negative. "I don't see him out there, but it's not required to warm-up in the arena, just inside the building. Maybe he'd pick up his phone…" He pulled out his cell phone, and quickly dialed his friend's number.

"Yes," Daisuke answered shortly after only 2 rings.

"Where are you Dai? I can't spot you warming up," Sage asked seriously.

"The better question is…Where are you, Sage Date?" Daisuke answered with his own question obviously upset, "You're not in the hospital as you previously told me, and now I know that you're not at your house either, you're at the tournament."

"I was released from the hospital yes…"

"Yesterday around noon," Daisuke finished, still noticeably angry. "Sensei and I have already been there this morning. Why didn't you let me know you'd been released?"

"I thought I'd surprise you in the locker room after your first match," Sage replied, knowing that Daisuke had let off enough steam to become civil once more, and continued, "But I guess I don't have to use my locker room pass and risk getting seen by the media."

"Locker room pass?" Daisuke's voice was now void of any anger and full of curiosity, "Aren't those almost impossible to get?"

"Yeah, but my four friends and I have them."

"Sweet, meet me in the locker room after my first match."

"Alright."

"Talk to you then."

Sage heard the click of the two phones disconnecting and sighed as he closed his phone.

"Soooo…Where is he?" Kento asked curiously, "I wanna meet him!"

"He was looking for me," Sage answered guiltily. "I guess he was worried and doesn't have a match right away, so he and his sensei were going to visit me. He was upset that I hadn't let him know I had been released, but he's over that now, and will meet us in the locker room after his first match."

"Sweet," Kento answered.

The 5 friends then sat quietly as the day's matches began. They cheered for everyone (Sage was the only one who picked certain people to cheer for), and asked Sage (their local kendo expert) any questions that came up, which he answered willingly.

Soon it was 11:00 and Sage spotted Daisuke walking into the arena for his first match. He of course pointed him out to the others, and throughout the match, the 5 close friends cheered for Daisuke Takahashi. The match was a no contest and was over in a very short amount of time.

As Daisuke and his former opponent bowed to end the match officially, the 5 Ronins left their seats and headed towards the locker room. Sage led the way confidently through the crowds of people and the winding hallways of the convention center. Soon, they were showing their small plastic passes to the guard outside the door and they entered the locker room.

Sage then led the way over to Daisuke's customary locker where the 5 high school boys waited for what seemed like a very…very long time. Ryo began to pace back and forth, Cye sat twiddling his thumbs, Kento and Rowan sat staring into space, and Sage leaded against the lockers thinking. "He must have run into the media," Sage whispered to himself, "That's the only reason as he knew we would be here after his match…I know all the shortcuts in this building, but that doesn't explain this delay…It must be the press…"

"Sage!" the cheery voice of Daisuke Takahashi suddenly rang across the locker room. "Man am I glad to see you! Would you do me a favor?"

"That depends on what the favor is, Daisuke," Sage replied as his face broke into a smile.

"Would you tape my wrist for me?" he asked as he came into view, while rounding a row of lockers.

"Sure, where's your tape?"

Daisuke first handed his friend his pre-wrap out of his locker before noticing the sling on Sag's shoulder. Sage noticed the question forming in his eyes and answered, "Don't worry, I can wrap a wrist with my left hand. It just will take a little longer." He then began to tape Daisuke's wrist efficiently.

While Sage and Daisuke were busy, Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Rowan had the chance to finally see Daisuke Takahashi in person. They saw a guy their age with shaggy black hair and dyed golden streaks. He was almost as tall as Sage, and had chocolate brown eyes set in a well defined face along with a pleasant voice. Sage quickly finished wrapping his friend's wrist and turned to introduce everyone to his old friend.

"Daisuke, these are my friends, Ryo Sanada, Cye Mouri, Rowan Hashiba, and Dento Rei Faun. Guys this is Daisuke Takahashi," Sage said as the 5 high school boys shook hands politely.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Daisuke said when the shaking of hands was complete. "Sage has told me a little about you, but it is much nicer to get to meet you all in person."

"Takahashi!" the angry call rang through out the locker room causing both Daisuke and Sage to wince.

"You better go," Sage whispered, "Your sensei sounds rather upset."

"It's probably time for me to get ready for my next match," Daisuke whispered back to Sage, "Meet me in here again after the last match of the day, I should have more time to talk then." He then turned to the rest of the small group and whispered, "I'll see you all later." He walked confidently to the end of the row of lockers and to the entrance of the locker room.

As soon as Daisuke was out of ear/eye shot, Sage collapsed on the locker room bench. His four friends looked at him in alarm and were surprised by what they saw. His face was pale, a grimace was set on his lips, sweat drops stood out on his forehead, and his usually steady hands were shaking like leaves.

"Dude! Sage! What's wrong man?" Kento asked worriedly.

Sage closed his eyes and whispered, "What time is it?"

Cye looked at his watch and answered, "Almost one." He thought for a moment, then asked, "Is it time for you to take your painkillers?"

"Way past time," Rowan commented, answering the question for Sage before asking a couple of his own, "You took them at 6, right? Did you bring your medication along?" He watched his injured friend nod slowly to answer both questions before turning to the others and saying, "We need to get him back to his seat, with food and his painkillers before he passes out from the pain."

Ryo, Cye, and Kento nodded in agreement as Rowan once again turned to Sage. "Do you think you can manage to lead us back to our seats, Sage?"

"Yeah, thanks Ro."

"Don't thank me until you've taken your medication," Rowan said sternly, smiling at his friend. "Let's go so you can get your painkillers."

Sage opened his eyes and reluctantly led the way from the locker room with his friends close at hand. The five made their way slowly through the winding corridors of the convention center while avoiding anyone that appeared to be with the press. Before long the made it back to the crowded lobby of the convention center. Cye was sent as an escort for Sage to make sure he stayed alert while waiting to take his painkillers as Kento, Rowan, and Ryo waited in line at the concessions stand.


	6. Chapter 6

Attack from the Shadows

Chapter 6

Hey this is your friendly author! Is anyone out there reading this story???? Should I keep writing it??? Please let me know what you think!!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own them

Note:means mental communication:  
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Cye watched Sage carefully on their trip to their seats, assessing his condition without any painkillers in his system. His decision was not very optimistic. "If he doesn't bounce back quickly with his medicine, I'm gonna force him to go home," he thought to himself grimly. "I told them it was too soon for him to do things for a long period of time."

As the tewo took their seats, Sage caught Cye's eyes and whispered, "Don't worry, Cye. I'm not in that much pain, I just did something very stupid in the locker room." Cye cocked his head quizzically and Sage continued, "I used some of my chi to heal Daisuke's wrist."

Cye nodded his agreement and sternly said, "I'll still take you home if you don't improve with your medicine."

"Thanks, Cye, you're a good friend."

Cye then split his attention between his charge and the kendo match that Sage was watching. After several minutes, Cye began getting impatient, it shouldn't be taking them this long. He added watching for Rowan's bright blue hair to come down the aisle, and no sooner then he began his looking the three began coming down the stairs. Kento was stuffing his face with hot dogs as they walked, Rowan had a dish of ice cream and slices of pizza in his hands, and Ryo had his hands full of popcorn and pop.

The three quickly filed into their seats, and Rowan handed Sage the dish of ice cream, instructing, "Eat, and take your medicine."

Before he started to eat, Sage pulled a pill bottle from his pocket and handed it with a shaky hand to Cye. He whispered, "Could you get two pills out for me? Please?" Cye nodded in return as Sage began to eat. He easily opened the child-proof lid and removed two of the medium-sized, pink painkillers. He handed them to Sage, who took them effortlessly with a bite of ice cream. He finished the treat then leaned back in his chair to continue watching kendo and let the painkiller take its effects. It took 15 minutes to start working, and about 30 before he felt no pain.

The hours flew by in a rush of cheers and swings for the five friends and before they were ready for it, the last match of the day was complete. They waited patiently for the crowd to thin out before they headed for the locker room to meet with Daisuke Takahashi. The five carefully avoided anyone that had a chance of being with the press, and within a few minute, they had arrived at the locker rooms.

Unfortunately, when they entered the room, Sage was spotted by a camera crew. He attempted to disappear while the reporter was still preoccupied wit ha competitor, but heard him say, "Oh, look it's last year's champion, Sage Date. Let's see if he will talk with us."

Sage put a fake smile on his face, and turned to see the reporter approaching him. "Hello Mr. Date! How are you this evening?"

"I'm very well thank you," Sage answered politely, silently hoping that this would be short.

"That's good to hear. Have you been enjoying this year's tournament?"

"It certainly is a different experience to sit and watch it instead of competing but it has been enjoyable to be here.:

"That's good to hear…How goes recovering from your injuries?"

"I'm improving slowly, but it is noticeable. Everyone's been very supportive of my recovery, for which I'm thankful."

"Will you be recovered enough to compete in the international tournament?"

"I hope to be well enough by that time, but I am unsure when I will be able to train once more."

"Well, good luck for your recovery and enjoy the rest of the tournament."

"Thank you."

As soon as the camera was turned away, Sage quickly joined his friends, all of whom were standing at Daisuke's locker (along with both Daisuke and his sensei). "Unsuccessful once again, I see," Daisuke teasingly joked as he saw Sage approaching.

"They are like vultures circling a corpse…" Sage admitted with a laugh adding :Or like warlords attacking a defenseless Ronin…: mentally to Ryo, Rowan, Cye, and Kento earning himself appreciative smiles. "Nice job today, Dai. You have improved a lot since last year."

"Thank you. Now let's get out of here before the press strike again." The group of seven walked out of the locker rooms and began to head towards the exit before Daisuke said, "You're going to supper with the 6 of us, Sage. I've already called to ask your parents. Kento told me about his family's restaurant, and I'd like to try it out with some good company."

"That sounds good to me. The Golden Dragon has amazing food," Sage agreed as the group left the building. Something in the air put him on his guard, and caused him to caution the Ronins. :Something's not right. Be on your guard, I think the Dynasty is up to something.: He caught the four affirmative answers as the air became electric with danger. The injured blonde warrior found himself walking with his left hand in his pocket in order to feel the comforting presence of his kanji orb.

"Hey Sage," Daisuke's voice came unexpectedly. He worriedly asked, "Is everything alright? You've just gotten even more pale than you've been all day."

"I'm alright. It's just almost time for me to take more of my painkillers," Sage explained, leaving out that the main reason was his worry that Kyle would be the one to attack. His worry was rightly placed as a familiar cackle rent the air and sent shivers down his spine.

Sage froze and said, "He's here." His voice and countenance full of an unspoken dread.

Rowan looked at the figure of his best friend, his worry plainly etched on his face. "Are you sure you're strong enough to face him again, Sage?"

"I have to be," Sage answered, his jaw set stubbornly. His next words were a strong call to his friends, "Ronins to Arms."

Daisuke Takahashi and Sensei Oda stood bemused as cherry blossoms and brightly colored lights filled the air. As the air cleared of obstructions once more, the two were amazed to see the five figures encased in close fitting, brightly colored metal. "Wha…What's going on, Sage?" Daisuke stammered, now feeling a little afraid, "Who's here?"

The blonde figure now encased in green and silver metal turned, his face serious as he instructed, "Dai, you and your sensei need to get out of here now. Go to the Golden Dragon. Tell them you need a private room because Kento and his friends will be joining you. We'll explain things when we catch up with you. If you can't find the restaurant, call my phone in about fifteen minutes. Alright?"

Daisuke nodded his agreement and the two began to run to their vehicle.

"Now let's kick this guy's ass!" Kento exclaimed, cracking his knuckles expectantly.

"What attacks should we expect?" Cye asked Sage worriedly.

"Mental," Rowan asked before Sage had a chance to even process the Warrior of Torrent's question.

"I can shield you from them, I'll just need to be defended while I do it…and the battle will have to be as short as we can make it." Sage had been planning tactics since his time in the cave.

"Bold words, Halo," Kyle's taunting came through the air, "But are they true? Can you beat me in my own game? I can see you weakening already." More maniacal laughter filled the air as Sage sank to the ground and crossed his legs as if he were going to begin meditating.

"I'll be fine as long as he's defeated. Don't worry about me," he answered the challenge defiantly. Calmly the blonde closed his eyes to gather his complete concentration. After only a moment he re-opened them, spread his awareness until it encompassed his four friends, and created a mental shield for each of them from his own energy. :Now hurry: he instructed as powerful attacks began to assail his barriers, draining his already depleted resources more with each blow.

Kyle finally appeared in demonic black armor covered with a billowing black cloak. His face was laughing as his continued blows weakened the Warrior of Halo further still. "You shall all soon know of the power given to me by Lord Neshir to kill Halo and make you all suffer painfully" he yelled to the young warriors. He once again began to laugh, spread his arms wide and cried, "Destru!"

But the warlord's spell did not reach its intended targets, instead it smashed into Sage's mental barrier. :What are you guys waiting for! Get him!: Sage pleaded weakly, the wracking pain he felt apparent in his mental communication.

Rowan hazarded a glance back at his best friend while the other three rushed towards Kyle, and was surprised. He saw pale lavender eyes glowing softly out of an ashen colored face. He then heard a gasp of surprise from Cye and shouts of anger from both Ryo and Kento. As he turned to find that Kyle had disappeared, he heard Sage cry out in pain. He turned to see Sage collapsed on the ground with Kyle standing behind him.

"You Bastard!" the blue-haired Ronin of Strata cried and leapt toward the warlord, ready to strike, but stopped as he saw the warlord place his heavy foot over Sage's throat.

"You are weak, Halo. I could crush you right now if I wished, but that would be no fun," Kyle growled, voice threatening and yet almost thoughtful. "I want to see you suffer more, as you truly deserve. Think on your weakness and I will return when you provide more entertainment."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Sage whispered as the armored foot was removed from the soft tissue of his throat.

"It's not so much hate, as it is a thirst for revenge. Farewell for now." With a turn on his heel the warrior in black once again disappeared from view.

"Damnit!" Kento swore as the four friends rushed to Sage who was lying motionless on the cool concrete.


	7. Chapter 7

Attack From the Shadows

Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: See past chapters, I really don't like repeating myself…

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Ryo, Kento, Rowan, and Cye quickly banished their subarmors and rushed to Sage's motionless side. They worriedly kneeled next to his side only to see that he had his eyes closed. Cye softly whispered, "Sage, are you alright?" as he gently placed a hand on his blonde friend's left shoulder.

As rare tears moistened Sage's cheeks he whispered in return, "I'm sorry that I am not strong enough…I'm just too tired…"

"Don't worry we'll help," Kento reassured, trying to sound cheerful through his anger at Kyle and worry for Sage.

"You can sleep all you need," Cye added quietly.

"Up ya come," Rowan said softly, carefully helping the blonde to stand before draping Sage's arm across his shoulders in order to help him to the Jeep. The quiet group of comrades slowly headed to their vehicle. Once they reached the Jeep, Sage was helped into the shotgun position, where he promptly fell into a light slumber, and the car full of usually boisterous teens left the parking lot of the convention center.

The entire drive to the Golden Dragon was silent as no one wished to awaken the injured Sage from his much needed rest. Instead, the four kept their thoughts to themselves and worried about what to tell Daisuke and Sensei Oda once they reached the restaurant.

Once they arrived at the Golden Dragon, they woke Sage with a light shake, looking much better than he had before his short nap. The group walked inside where they were greeted by Kento's mother. "Well there you boys are! You've kept that nice young man and his mentor waiting quite long enough!"

"Aw, Ma! We didn't mean ta!" Kento whined sheepishly.

"Don't you 'Aw, Ma!' me Kento Rei Faun! Now they're back in the smaller room," She both chided and instructed before adding kindly, "Oh, and Sage, it's nice to see you up and about again."

"Thank you Mama Faun," Sage answered with a tired smile as the group moved away towards the room to join Daisuke and Sensei Oda.

As they entered the room they immediately saw the worried faces of Daisuke and his sensei, both of whom looked up as soon as they heard the door open. "There you are! Are you guys okay?" Daisuke exclaimed when he saw all of them enter the room.

"We're fine," Ryo assured him. He saw Daisuke's nervous glances towards Sage and said, "Sage is alright too, Daisuke. He just is very tired and needs to take his pain medication."

Daisuke nodded as the group joined him and his sensei at the table. When everyone was settled he could no longer refrain from asking, "Now will you explain what's going on? I'm confused about everything…"

"Just wait until we get our food," Kento replied instantly. He met everyone's confused glances steadily and shrugged as he answered the unspoken questions confidently, "I don't want my family to overhear what we're going to talk about. They would freak if they found out about what I've been doing with you guys."

As he finished his statement, his younger brother Rinfi, who just happened to be the group's waiter for the night, entered the room. He smiled at their attempt at a cheerful greeting before taking their orders and once again leaving the room in a rush. About ten minutes later, he was back with their food and drinks. Sage took a couple bites and then took his painkillers while the others watched him to make sure he wasn't passing out.

Daisuke began to look between the 5 expectantly, waiting for an explanation. After a few bites, Cye decided to take pity on the curious newcomer. He asked, "Have you ever heard of the Yorodai Legend, Daisuke?"

Daisuke thought for a moment, "I think so…That's the one with the mystic samarai armor isn't it?...Wait, you're trying to tell me that you five have the armors of Wildfire, Strata, Halo, Torrent, and Hardrock?"

"You bet!" Kento exclaimed with his mouth full, "Mine's Hardrock."

"Torrent," was Cye's answer.

"Wildfire," Ryo's voice came next.

"Strata," Rowan said after a small pause. Everyone thought Sage would speak next but only silence hung in the air. The blue-haired warrior glanced over to see his best friend had fallen asleep leaning back in his chair with his chin resting on his chest, so he finished, "Sage has Halo."

"Is he alright?" Daisuke asked worriedly, "He didn't get injured even worse again, did he?"

"He's only very tired," Cye answered kindly before explaining, "He just got out of the hospital from being in a coma for over a month. He's not used to moving around yet, and his armor probably helped wear him out by trying to heal him."

Daisuke nodded his understanding, his worry still plain on his face.

"Do you have any more questions for us to answer?" Ryo asked both Sensei Oda and Daisuke softly.

"How was Date originally injured?" Sensei Oda asked quietly, concern audible in his voice. Daisuke nodded, agreeing with his Sensei.

"That's the question everyone wants the answer too," Cye stated honestly.

"You mean he hasn't talked about what happened at all?" Daisuke asked surprised. "Surely he's talked to someone! You guys are all so close!"

Ryo, Kento, and Cye all turned to stare intently at Rowan, knowing that if Sage had confided in anyone, it would have been his blue-haired best friend. Rowan, who refused to make eye contact with anyone, suddenly took great interest in attacking his plate of sesame chicken.

"Rowan," Ryo began sternly, causing Rowan to look up from his plate, "What do you know about this?"

The five others stared at him intently while he shook his head wearily. "He will tell everyone everything when he is ready for it," Rowan said, eyes filling with sadness. He apologized, "I'm sorry, I promised him my silence, and I can't break my word."

The entire room fell silent for a few moments, no one knowing what to say to break the awkwardness. An unexpected movement from Sage suddenly drew the attention of everyone else to him. The blonde appeared to not only still be asleep, but now had begun to have a nightmare as he was muttering darkly under his breath.

"What's he saying?" Ryo, who was sitting the furthest away, asked worriedly.

"Something about Kyle," Rowan answered quietly, trying to catch everything his friend was mumbling, "It sounds like he's trying to convince someone not to attack him, someone he's close too, I think. He keeps saying 'I'm your friend, I won't fight you'."

Cye moved over to the blonde's side with a look of compassion on his face. He placed a gentle hand on Sages left shoulder and gave him a small shake. When this did not wake the blonde, he shook him slightly harder and said, "Come on, Sage, wake up now mate. It's only a dream."

Sage's eyes flew open, wide with both fear and confusion.

"Welcome back to the world of the living!" Kento exclaimed in an attempt to lift the mood in the room.

Sage just looked more confused at this statement, but made a pitiful attempt at a smile anyway.

"Were you dreaming about what happened?" Daisuke asked curiously, only wishing to understand what his friend was going through. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sage shook his head stubbornly to answer both questions, even though they all could tell that, yes, he had been dreaming about his encounter with Kyle. He looked around the room at all of his friends with his eyes pleading for their understanding. "Please, don't make me talk about it," he whispered sadly, his voice tinted with his lingering fear, "I…I can't." He then looked closely at his food, and after a few moments, picked up his fork to play with the rice on his plate nervously.

This reaction effectively closed the discussion on Sage's recent experiences and the talk turned to happier subjects and avoided any mention of the Dynasty or armored Warlords.

Slowly, everyone finished their meals, the food was paid for, and promises made to meet up again the next day. Everyone filtered out of the room and headed to their vehicles, in which they left. Sage once again fell asleep while sitting shotgun, only to be awoken again when the group reached the Date household. Sage and Rowan exited the Jeep, were told they'd be picked up at 7:30 the next morning, and went inside.

After exchanging the traditional pleasantries with Sage's family, Rowan helped Sage to his room. "Thanks, Rowan," the blonde said gratefully as his blue-haired friend walked out the door.

"No problem, Sage," Rowan answered with a sad smile, "Just get some rest so you can heal." He then left and went to the guest bedroom to read more Sherlock Holmes until he was ready to sleep.

Sage, on the other hand, hurried through his nightly rituals and fell into his bed exhausted. He found himself hoping this would be the Ronins' last encounter with Kyle and then he was floating through the blackness of sleep.

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Soon, however, the peaceful blackness turned swiftly to nightmares. He found himself in his full armor laying beaten on the floor of the cave where his armor draws its power. Around him stood the former Dynasty War Lords (Kale, Dais, Sekhmet, and Anubis) looking at him with blank stares and unsheathed weapons. He could see strings attached to their arms, legs, and backs, and when those strings were followed up into the darkness, you could just make out Kyle's armored form standing as puppeteer controlling the others. Slowly, a smile crossed over the Warlord of Torture's face and each former Warlord grabbed one of Sage's appendages and pulled them in different directions, trying to rip them from his torso. As soon as he let out a yell of pain, they dropped him back to the ground where his vision went black. He felt himself being roughly dragged over a stony surface, and then thrown into a chair that he was tied to by his wrists, elbows, ankles, torso, and neck. His vision cleared and he saw that he was surrounded by Ryo, Kento, Cye, and Rowan, all fully armed. Kyle appeared in their midst with an ugly sneer on his mostly armored face. He approached the immobilized Sage and punched him across the face, just under his right eye, slamming his head back against one of the cave walls and sending his vision swirling.

"How does it feel, Halo?" Kyle whispered to Sage, close enough the blonde could smell his rotten breath, "How does it feel to be unable to stop your friends from killing you? You are going to have an unpleasant death, Halo, so painful. It will be a pleasure for me to watch. You'll scream, maybe writhe a little, the pain will cross your beautiful features, and you'll die knowing it was your friends' doing."

Kyle's figure then disappeared from view, and Sage saw all his friends preparing to use their sure-kills. He felt the power surging around him, when he was startled by someone grabbing his shoulder and heard his name being called forcefully.

He gradually began to wake up to hear Rowan worriedly saying, "Sage, Sage…Seiji! WAKE-UP Seiji…Seiji!"

He opened his eyes slowly to see Rowan kneeling on the floor and bent over his sprawling body that must have fallen from his bed. He moved to sit up, but groaned as his muscles protested with pain, so he decided to stay where he lay.

"Are you alright Sage?" Rowan asked, worry plain in his dark blue eyes.

"I think so," Sage answered quietly. He tried to sit up once more and succeeded, his body once again feeling normal except for a pounding headache and pain from the area around his right eye, along with his shoulder. He put his head in his left hand and tried to massage out the ache.

"That musta been a nasty nightmare, buddy."

"Yeah…" Sage whispered, caught in the moment, "It seemed so real…" Sage looked up into Rowan's eyes sharply and asked, "How did you know to come?"

"You yelled and were talking loudly, so I came to see what was wrong before you could wake the rest of you family. I opened your door to see you fall outta bed and smack your face on the table." Rowan looked at Sage's pensive face as he absorbed the information. "Do you need to talk about it?" he asked quietly, worried.

"No," came the quick reply, followed softly by, "What time is it?"

"Almost 2."

"Time for some medicine then."

The two friends stood up and left the room. Sage went into the bathroom to take his meds, and Rowan went to his room to prepare to go to bed. Neither of them looked back to see a shadowy figure standing in a dark corner of Sage's room.

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Hey all! Sorry about how long it took me to update! Sometimes classes on the block plan just come and bite your free time in the butt.  Hopefully my next class will give me enough time to do more updates. One can only hope… Anyway, what did you think? Let me know, please!


	8. Chapter 8

Attack from the Shadows

Chapter 8

Rowan and Sage parted ways in the hallway with Rowan turning into the room he was currently using and Sage continuing to the bathroom. He paused a moment to gently finger the bruise that ran across his right cheek bone, wincing at the throbbing pain coming from the ever darkening bruise. "I'm going to have a wonderful time with everyone's questions tomorrow…" he thought to himself while he took his medication. His steps then turned once more towards his bed and as he began to feel the effects of the pain killers, he drifted once more into the realm of dreams.

Rowan saw Sage walk by his room as he headed back to bed, and resolved to check on him once more before going to sleep. The blue haired archer changed into his pajamas and turned off the lights before quietly going to check on his injured friend. He peeked his head in through the door and was surprised to see a shadowy figure standing next to Sage's slumbering form.

Rowan dashed into the room, startling a growl from the shadowy figure. As the figure turned, Rowan recognized Kyle's armor and whispered menacingly, "Get away from him, Kyle. You've already hurt him enough, I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

The shadowy face broke into a malicioius sneer and a laugh snuck through the darkness. "Whatever you say Strata. I'll leave for now, but be on your guard because I will return." The figure turned on his heel and vanished from sight.

Rowan took a deep breath to steady his nerves and decided that it was no longer safe for Sage to be alone, someone needed to be with him at all times. As he decided this, he hurried back to the guest room to grab both a pillow and a blanket before rushing to lay on the soft carpet of Sage's room.

Sage woke groggily to his alarm at six only to be surprised by the slumbering form of Rowan laying in the middle of his bedroom floor. Gingerly shaking his still aching head, he rose to shower and prepare for the day. After completing his morning routine, Sage returned to his room to awaken his blue-haired friend, only to find he had already awoken.

"Sage!" he exclaimed, looking rather frantic, "Are you alright?!?"

"Of course I'm alright, Ro," Sage answered confused, "Why wouldn't I be? All I did was take a shower." He watched his friend sigh, run his hand through his tussled hair, and begin muttering to himself. He became even more confused as he noticed dark circles forming under Rowan's eyes. "Are you alright Rowan?" he finally asked, "Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"Nightmares," the archer murmured, shaking his head as he lightly brushed past Sage and headed to the guest bedroom.

The blonde stared after his friend for a moment, completely befuddled by his behavior, before sinking to the floor to meditate, knowing it to be impossible to attempt to fathom his friend's thoughts.

Rowan found that he was having a difficult time recovering from his panic attack. He was so shaken by the events of the night before that anytime he was away from Sage, he could only imagine that he was once again being attacked by Kyle, only he was afraid that after a few more blows, the bearer of Halo would be found lifeless.

An image of Sage lying lifeless, looking at him had been part of the reason he had panicked as soon as he had woken that morning. As soon as he had returned to Sage's room (after the nightmare incident) he had fallen asleep. Immediately he found himself walking in a cave with Sage and all appeared peaceful. Suddenly out of the shadows arrows and spears began to be hurled at the pair. They instinctively dodged the projectiles, but eventually Rowan found his actions slowing and a spear was getting closer and closer…Milliseconds before it struck he found himself pushed away by Sage. He turned to see his best friend struck through the heart by the spear meant for him. Sage hit the cave floor already dead, his eyes staring lifelessly at the craggy ceiling.

Rowan had of course woken in a cold sweat only to see Sage sleeping peacefully in his bed. Nevertheless any time he closed his eyes, he saw Sage staring unbelievingly at him with lifeless eyes. He had only managed to fall asleep once more that morning for about one restless hour and when he saw Sage was not there, he freaked, there could be no helping it. Even now it was all he could do not to run out to check on his injured friend even though he knew that the blonde was fine.

He finished his shower and dressed for the day in jeans and an astronomy club t-shirt before walking down to the kitchen.

Rowan walked into the kitchen and was surprised by what he saw, if only because he was still unused to seeing both of Sage's eyes. He saw both cool, lavender eyes full of life, look up sharply at him when he entered the room, and he winced when he saw the right one was heavily bruised and swollen, yet still amazingly piercing.

"Good morning Ro," Sage greeted calmly, obviously trying to fix the awkwardness of their earlier exchange. "Are you feeling better now?"

Rowan replied by grunting wordlessly before attacking his bowl of cereal. Sage fell silent, and awkwardness spread through the room with the lengthy silence. The minutes sluggishly passed one by one.

Finally, Rowan broke the uncomfortable silence, and voiced his thoughts. "I'm just worried for you, Seiji," he whispered almost silently, not lifting his gaze from his cereal.

Sage looked up quickly to his friend and felt his stomach rise to his throat with guilt at the use of his formal name. "I'll be fine, Touma. I'm getting well slowly, I really am."

Rowan looked up, eyes intense. "I saw you dead last night, Seiji," he paused to see sage attempting to say something and continued, "No, just listen to me for a minute, Seiji. Last night, after you had your nightmare, I went back to check on you, and I found Kyle there, standing over you. After I fell asleep on your floor, I dreamed that you died. Now, I can't get that picture out of my mind! I'm terrified that if I let you out of my sight, the next time I see you….you'll be dead."

Sage's eyes filled with a deep guilt and sadness. "Touma, I sincerely promise you that I'm not going to die. I plan on living a very long life."

The two lapsed once more into silence, trapped in thought. They stayed that way even after they were picked up by the others and on the entire ride to the convention center. Sage maintained his silence all the way through the first three matches, while Ryo, Kento, and Cye chatted amongst themselves and with Rowan alternating between talking and napping; waking looking troubled, while keeping a watchful eye on Sage.

Sage was finally forced out of his silence when Daisuke called him. "Hey," he said softly answering his phone, "Nice job in your match Dai…Yeah, sure, of course I can. See you in a few." He hung up his phone and stood to leave only to find his way blocked by Rowan's legs sitting propped against the seats in front of them. "Excuse me Rowan, could I please get out?" he asked courteously.

"Why? Where are you going?" Rowan asked severely.

"Daisuke asked if I could meet him in the locker room. I think he has some questions to ask me," Sage answered calmly.

"Alone?" concern crept into Rowan's voice.

"He didn't mention anyone else," a slight edge could be heard in the blonde's still calm voice. Rowan reluctantly moved his legs and allowed Sage through. "Thank you. I'll be back," he stated shortly before walking to the aisle and heading up the stairs.

Ryo waited until Sage's figure had disappeared into the crowd before he rounded on Rowan angrily, "Rowan, what the hell was that about? What's wrong with you two today?"

"I'm scared Ryo, that's what's wrong," Rowan whispered barely audible and sounding near tears. "That and I got about 45 minutes worth of real sleep last night."

"That's why you look like something the cat dragged in," Cye remarked with a slight chuckle.

"Why?" Kento asked, blue eyes full of concern.

"I'll tell you later," Rowan promised distractedly, "I have to follow him to make sure that he's ok."

"He'll be alright, Rowan," Cye reassured the young archer, "You've upset him enough that nothing will stop him until he cools off a little. Now, you calm down and tell us what happened last night between you and Sage. Maybe then we can do something to help."

Rowan took several deep breaths, visibly trying to shake off his emotional breakdown. "It started late last night. Sage was already asleep and I was getting ready to follow him there when I heard him yelling loudly from his room. Of course I ran to see what was wrong and I saw him fall from his bed, smashing his face on his bed side table. He started writhing on the floor caught in a nightmare. It took a lot to wake him up, and once he was awake he couldn't move at all at first, it was the strangest thing I've ever seen…Anyway, he went back to bed and I went back to check on him only to find Kyle standing over him."

"Kyle?" Cye asked quietly, "Again? In Sage's house? In his room?"

"Yes…I…I saw him there. He ran away so I stayed there the rest of the night, and I fell asleep at first, but then I saw Sage die for me in my dream." Rowan placed his face in his hands, "It was…terrible…And now I can't get that image out of my mind."

Cye patted the distressed Rowan reassuringly on the shoulder. "He'll be alright, Ro. If he's not back in half an hour, we'll go looking for him. I think he just needs some time to catch up with Daisuke. Maybe that will help him to talk a little with us when he comes back."

Rowan looked thankfully at Cye, his eyes thankful for the comforting but many questions were also clearly present.

Ryo interrupted before Rowan had a chance to voice anymore of his inquiries. "I know we need to talk Ro, but we don't want to risk everyone around us hearing what we say."

Rowan nodded sadly, falling silent, and once more turned his attention to the kendo match going on in the arena, his example followed by the other three.

Sage walked quickly and silently through the halls of the Convention Center refusing to make eye contact with anyone and avoiding all of the press. He soon reached the locker room where he was admitted with only a quick flash of his pass. He made his way back to Daisuke's locker where he found his friend waiting patiently for him.

Daisuke looked up to see the figure of his injured, blonde friend and was startled to see the condition of the blonde's face. "Sage! What happened?" he gasped concernedly.

"I had a run in with my bed side table while I was sleeping," Sage answered quietly, completely serious. "Just another occurrence on the pleasant list of events recently in my life," he expanded sarcastically as he sat across from his old friend.

"Was it because of a nightmare?" Daisuke asked after a short pause.

"Yeah," Sage admitted quietly, knowing that Daisuke just wanted to help him.

"Would talking about it help?" he asked looking Sage straight in the eyes, his dark chocolate brown eyes full of compassion.

Sage chuckled dejectedly to himself in response before adding, "That's the same thing Rowan asked. Sometimes you guys are pretty much the same." He then fell silent with his eyes dropping to the floor.

Daisuke let his friend wallow in his thoughts for a few moments before quietly prompting, "Well?"

Sage remained thoughtfully silent for a few more moments before whispering, "I don't want to talk about it, Dai…I can't talk about it, not yet. It's too close, too painful…" his voice trailed off as he looked pleadingly into his friend's eyes, asking silently for his understanding.

Daisuke sighed heavily before standing and walking over to sit by Sage. He placed his hand comfortingly on his uninjured shoulder. "That's fine. You tell me all you want as soon as you are ready. Just remember, I'm here for you no matter what happens." He stayed serious as Sage's eyes became grateful and added, "But trying to ignore the memories and bottling up your emotions won't help you to heal either. Eventually, you will have to face everything."

Sage looked away from his friend once more and focused his eyes on the tiled floor. "I know. Everything's just so overwhelming right now." He sighed deeply. "All anyone wants is for me to tell them what happened. They don't say it out loud, but I can tell that's what they're thinking about. And everyone's treating me like a frail museum piece, like if they look at me wrong, I'm going to break. Especially Rowan. He doesn't want to even let me out of his sight!" He then fell silent, once more lost to his thoughts.

Daisuke watched his friend concernedly. He hadn't seen the blonde this depressed since the incident a few years prior when he was banned from kendo. He needed to help Sage snap out of this funk. After a few moments of careful thought, he stood quickly, clapping his hands, gratified to see a startled jump from Sage. "Well, let's get started then, Sage," he said cheerfully.

Sage turned his lavender eyes to see Daisuke's cheerful features and skeptically questioned, "Start what exactly Dai?"

"Kendo training of course," Daisuke smiled broadly at his friend as Sage gave him a look of disbelief. "Since you've been out, you've lost your base. You're not looking as lean as you used too, now you just look starved…But if we start you working now, you should be back in shape for the international trials in April…"

"You're forgetting one important thing, Daisuke," Sage stopped his exuberant friend.

"What?" Daisuke asked impatiently.

Sage pointed emphatically at his right arm and answered, "My sword arm is in a sling and will be for quite a while."

Daisuke laughed at that sentiment before explaining, "You have two arms don't you? You're left arm isn't hurt."

Hope that had been missing in Sage's eyes suddenly was sparkling its presence once again. "You think it would work? I could switch hands and still make international tournament?"

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Daisuke returned, a smile on his face.

A/N: Hey sorry about the delay…I was having internet problems otherwise this would have been up like a month and a half ago. As always, please review!


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